5 years

Some days, it seems like it has been mere minutes since Kayden was born.

Lately, he is a feisty boy (and by lately I mean, upon birth). My sweet, funny, fearless boy.

Our playroom borders the kitchen, and a Step 2 playhouse is situated in the corner. The other day I heard creaking of the plastic rooftop rubbing together. I looked in there just in time to see Kayden, clasping his cape straight out to the side, leaping off the roof. You would not know the distance I am talking about unless you have visited, but he cleared almost halfway into the adjoining living room. Frequently, he asks me when he will have permission to jump off the real house. {Don't tell my brothers or he will be jumping off the roof to the trampoline in no time}

Anyway.

A few weeks ago we got free tickets to the Circus, so we enjoyed a date night. An e-mail informed me the seats were a few rows from the floor, as a caution to really small children. Driving downtown, I asked Kayden if he would be frightened by the lions or elephants because of how massive they were.

"I am not going to be scared", he said, sounding amused I would even ask. We took our seats in anticipation for the show and again I told Kayden that if he was scared to let me know and we would move a little further back.

I have another anecdote about the little lie I told to a stranger and Kayden's quickness in piping up to deny my assertion. However, that is another story for another day.

We watched the clowns and the dogs and the elephants and the lions- each act Kayden loved more than the previous.

Then from behind the curtain a large man on a Harley Davidson, situated on a wire climbing to the ceiling, started revving his engine. Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me explain. The Harley had the stereotypical leather-clad, long bearded rider parked in the saddle and a beautiful girl hanging on a triangle shaped trapeze below the bike.

All the sudden, I heard the throttle accelerate and the pair zoomed overhead. As in, directly overhead. Right when they approached us, they unpredictably stopped. I watched as the beautiful lady twisted the handles around her wrists and started shifting her weight from side to side. The bike and rider swayed in unison, and unexpectedly starting flipping in circles.

I looked down at Kayden and there was a brief moment when fear crossed his face. And then....

I could try to describe it, but I am not sure I could do it justice.

The awe and complete amazement watching two people, directly overhead, hanging on a wire and rotating....it was priceless.

It was in this moment that I realized God sees me the very same way. That He takes utter delight when I experience unbridled joy....the first time I laid eyes on Kayden, the first time I persuaded a smile or giggle, when he whispered "I love you, mommy" in that innocent voice, or expressed he loves Jesus.

Five years, five minutes...it has gone by in a blink.

Here are a few pictures from when he was born, and one {albeit dark} video from the circus in the next post.

Daddy holding him for the first time.


When I first laid eyes on him and his poor alien head

At this hospital, the procedure for taking newborn photos was laying the baby flat on a metal table, with this scene as the backdrop. Right about where Kayden's feet rested was a lip on the edge. Every time the photographer would line him up to take the photograph, he would kick, scooting his butt up so that the photo was only half his face. Five or six times we tried this, before capturing this shot.

Feisty already.

Poor kid.